New Life for Remington 11-48 Sportsman 48 Shotguns

Remington introduced the 11- 48 in 1949, replacing the Model 11. The 11-48 has sleek contours that look more "modern" than the square-backed Model 11. Offered in 12-, 16-, 20-, and 28-gauge and in .410 bore, the only major difference between the 11-48 and Sportsman 48 was the latter’s two-round magazine capacity. The Sportsman 48 was discontinued in 1959, but the 11-48 continued in production for another 10 years until dwindling demand forced Remington to discontinue it in 1969. Figure 1. Figure 2.

The mere fact that it successfully competed against the superb Model 1100 for 6 years is testament to the fundamental soundness of its design. The biggest problems encountered with these shotguns are stock cracking and breakage of the recoil-spring assembly’s friction ring and ring compressor. Stocks can be doweled and repaired, but what do you do about Below left and the friction piece or the friction piece compressor? Answer: Make another one. It can be accomplished on a small lathe with simple tools.

Figure 1 gives dimensions and instructions for making a 12-gauge friction-ring compressor; the information in Figure 2 will allow you to make a 16- and 20-gauge friction-ring compressor; and Figure 3 is

a "generic" drawing for fabricating anew friction piece. After finishing the friction piece shown in Figure 3, you’ll need to obtain a Browning A-5 spring (part #PO11215) for the correct gauge" either 12 or 16/20"and install it over the new friction piece. As an alternative, you can substitute a spring from a Remington Model 11 or a Savage/ Springfield 720, 745, 745B, 745C, or 750. The recoil spring on these shotguns is staked into the compressor ring.

It can usually be removed after The piece can also be machined from a suitable-size Oil-Lite bushing purchased from a bearing shop. Figure 3. some judicious work on the staking with a Dremel tool, and simply unscrewing the spring. If you’re dealing with a 28-gauge or .410 bore, you’ll have to adjust dimensions accordingly after measuring your old parts. I have not had either on hand to measure. Unfortunately, if the recoil spring itself has broken, you may be out of luck.

I am not aware of anything else that could be substituted for the 11- 48s flattened-coil spring. The 16- and 20-gauge shotguns use the same recoil spring, but each of the others use a gauge-specific spring. Browning A- 5, Remington Model 11, and Savage/ Springfield springs will not work. If, however, you’re lucky and only need to make anew friction piece or friction-piece compressor, the information here will allow you return the old workhorse to the field. I